Inquiring minds are reading a new study by The National Mortgage Association. It found:

The delinquency rate for mortgage loans on one-to-four-unit residential properties increased to a seasonally adjusted rate of 10.06 percent of all loans outstanding as of the end of the first quarter of 2010, an increase of 59 basis points from the fourth quarter of 2009, and up 94 basis points from one year ago, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association’s (MBA) National Delinquency Survey.

But, a glimmer of hope?…

“For several years, the four states of Florida, Arizona, Nevada, and California have dominated the national delinquency and foreclosure numbers. Florida is still getting worse, but California is showing signs of improvement. However, Washington, Maryland, Oregon, and Georgia showed the greatest overall increases in foreclosures started compared to last quarter,” Brinkmann said.